Army briefs Parrikar how it ‘lost’ 10 firing ranges

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 23

On the last leg of his two-day visit to strife-torn J&K before returning to Delhi this evening, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today visited forward posts in Bhimber Gali along the Line of Control (LoC) on the Rajouri-Poonch axis for a security review of south of the Pir Panjal range.

The Defence Minister was apprised of difficulties being faced by the Army in view of non-renewal of leases of at least 10 field firing ranges in the state,” said a top Army source. The Army, since January this year, has been sending its troops with ammunition and canons to firing ranges in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to perfect artillery fire and keep them battle ready. It has virtually run short of firing ranges in J&K because successive state governments refused to re-notify lease of 10 ranges.

“On infiltration bids by militants on LoC, Defence Minister was briefed on how the Army has been dealing with them. The Defence Minister was also briefed about other mischievous activities of the adversary on the LoC, to which he said local formation commanders, who have been given a free hand, should respond immediately,” said the top Army source.

He was also informed about the strategy for the coming months when incidents of intrusion bids and truce violation by militants and adversaries see a spike, he added.

Parrikar was accompanied by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh and Northern Army Chief Lt Gen DS Hooda. “On the last day of his visit the Defence Minister arrived at Jammu airfield around 9 am today, where he was received by GOC of White Knight Corps Lt Gen KH Singh,” said a Defence spokesperson. The Defence Minister visited forward areas on the LoC in the Hamirpur Battalion area (Bhimber Gali) where he was briefed on current security situation along the LoC and areas south of Pir Panjal by Lt Gen KH Singh.

The briefing included overall security situation, cross-border infiltration, measures on security grid for the LoC, counter-terrorist operations and counter-IED measures in place, he said. The minister was also shown surveillance equipment being used as part of the surveillance grid and he was also briefed on various Sadbhavna projects and initiatives that were being undertaken by White Knight Corps, he added.

At Bhimber Gali, Parrikar interacted with local formation commanders and troops over a cup of tea to get firsthand input of the ground situation. He appreciated high standards of military discipline and preparedness of the troops and their excellent performance in difficult terrain and challenging operational environment.